Agony of the Leaves
by Erisskissitbetter
Summary: After Light has been found innocent of the Kira case, L and the investigation team part ways. Three years later, L recieves a frantic phone call from Soichiro Yagami. AUish
1. A small spark

me no own, you no buy, they no sue

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L tapped away on his computer in the black depths of night while hidden in the large attic suite bedroom Of Wammy's, where he had first began as a detective at the age of seven. It was his sanctuary though sometimes it felt more like a prison as he looked around at the tapering walls of the roof.

He knew his poor posture was attributed to the sloping walls as he sat on the bed for hours solving case after case. His head leant forward due to the incline of the wall.

He had a perfectly fine desk and every time Wammy saw The now grown man sitting like that, He reprimanded him. He stubbornly refused to listen to reason when it came to his own health. Eventually Wammy gave up and chalked this kind of behavior up to L's need for complete control of his surroundings.

So when L heard a knock on his bedroom door, L quickly straightened his legs and scooted forward enough to sit at least a little straighter.

"Come in." Watari came in holding a cell phone. But not just any cell phone. It was his Japan Line. His eyes widened.

"It's Chief Yagami." Watari said a little perturbed looking. L nodded and held out his hand.

"Hello again Soichiro san. What can I do for you." L asked in Japanese while closing the folder of the case he was currently working on.

"Hello L, I'm calling in regards to my son."

"Ah yes, Young Yagami Light. I have heard he has graduated and has taken a job with the international police. You must be very proud." L tapped a few keys on the computer keyboard as he listened intently.

"I… L I need your help." L winced as the chief's tone took on a pleading aspect. Something was wrong and with Raito kun. "Light was undercover in Beijing investigating a drug ring for Interpol. He has gone missing." L froze.

"Missing? Surely Interpol has some idea of what has happened." L's heart started pounding.

"That's just it. They have no idea and they only have 2 people investigating his where-a bouts. I was on the case but they took me off because of conflict of interest. But the gentlemen investigating have been keeping me updated. There is absolutely no clue where he may be.

"Only two agents?"

"There were more but Interpol believes that Light is dead…" Soichiro took a shuddering breath "and so, they have scaled down the investigation to a two man unit. I know my son is not dead. He had been keeping me updated as to his findings before he went missing. He believed he had stumbled onto something far bigger than anyone at Interpol had anticipated. I haven't heard from him since."

L was furiously typing on his computer to bring up the case involving Yagami Light. He pulled up the files as he listened further.

"How long has he been missing?"

"a month and four days." L took a sharp intake of breath and straightened his back. Eyes lifting from the screen in shock. A month? Light was more than likely dead then. L clenched his fist. He saw then that Wammy was seated at L's unoccupied desk listening in on the conversation.

"You have my assurance Yagami san that Light's case is now my top priority."

"Oh thank you L!"

"He is my best friend Yagami san. I will find him." L paused as he heard the older gentleman on the other line choke up. It was obvious he was under a lot of stress for an extended period of time.

"I'm in Beijing so I can do the leg work for you. I have taken a leave of absence."

"No need, I will be flying there shortly." L said as he scrawled on a notepad that had lain at his side and held up the pad of paper for Watari to see. 'Beijing' Watari nodded grimly and left to make the arrangements. "I look forward to working with you again chief. I wish it was under other circumstances."

"Thank you so much L."

L's mind was running faster than it had in a long while. Normally he wouldn't have taken this case but Light Yagami was an exception. The two had become fast friends and rivals whilst L had worked on a particularly difficult case in Japan with the Japanese police and one of the investigators offspring.

Light had been seventeen at the time, but for a while L had suspected Light to be the culprit or somehow related to the murderer known as Kira. Despite this they became close. Light was the first person to see past L's title and see him not only as a human being but an equal. It was refreshing actually to not have someone kowtow before him.

Now he was missing in Beijing and the odds for him still being alive were slim. L would still find him, he wasn't 100% sure about friend etiquette but he was pretty sure that one of the bases of friendship was that if one of them needed help, then the other should help them.

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Light was brutally backhanded as he sat on the uncomfortable metal chair. He would have toppled over if he wasn't handcuffed to the back legs and the legs bolted to the floor. He dazedly spit out the blood onto the gritty cement before he slowly raised his head to stare at his captors. Two men in their late thirties. Medium tall build, dark brown hair, Asian in descent.

They were more than likely underlings as neither of them had said a single word when they entered the room. They were just doing their job. Light decided that he must be held by someone high up the Lóng drug ring due to the fact that both men wore suits and sported fairly expensive watches and shoes.

Protocol dictated an initiating of conversation in these types of situations but he knew already that these men were the tenderizers for the big guns that would undoubtedly be coming in shortly. They would never say anything but one word answers.

He had taken more intense interrogations than this anyway.

"That's enough. Wait outside." Light of course was right, as a large man entered. He held tout over these thugs. Will he try to play the good guy or bad guy, Light wondered." The man retrieved a white handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at the blood oozing at the corner of Lights mouth.

"You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into, have you?"

"hmm… does large company supporting terrorists by purchasing large shipments of opium from Afghanistan, to turn into heroin, ring any bells… ?" the broad shouldered man's eyes danced with mirth.

"yes it does. But that's just a little of what is going on here…" The man straitened and looked down at Light as he rummaged around in his inside jacket pocket. 'Here comes the wild card' thought Light "You'll see the rest soon I suppose. Especially with that face. I don't want to give it away and ruin your chances of using your excellent observational and reasoning skills, detective." the man walked over to the sill of the barred and papered over window where he pulled a wallet sized black lacquered wooden box out of his jacket.

The long haired man opened the box and pulled out a small candle and set it on the sill before lighting it with a match. 'Oh no' Light's thoughts raced as he watched the man pull out a metal spoon and dropped a few chunks of white powder into the spoon. As he continued to prepare the heroin Light pulled harshly against his bindings. He wrenched forward and the chair made some loud protests but the man was finished quickly and Light's wrists were now bloody and raw..

He approached Light with the needle uncapped and filled with toxic junk. Light struggled more but the man was just too powerful. He was built like an ox with the strength of one too. He wrenched Light's arm forward as far as it would go with the cuffs holding it to the chair. Light hissed as the man tore off his thin cotton sleeve of his shirt and let the material pool at Lights wrist to help soak up some of the blood that began running down Lights clenched fist

He tied a previously hidden rubber tube around Lights upper arm.

"Now you will be doing this on your own pretty soon so make sure to clench and unclench your fist a few times to make the vein rise." The man said in an instructing tone that made Light's skin crawl. the man began tapping the inside of lights elbow and they both watched as the blue vein became visible.

Light cringed and looked away as the man inserted the needle and slowly injected its contents into the young detectives blood stream. Within seconds Lights head rolled back and his eyes, copied. His fists became unclenched and he began to sag on the chair.

"Enjoy it Yagami Light san. The first time is the best." the man said as he walked to the sill to pack up his supplies. Light had lifted his head by the time he was finished and as the man stepped towards him again Light could only stare at him with half lidded eyes.

"If Interpol has more like you, they are welcome here anytime." The man placed his hand on Light's head and ruffled his hair before walking out. Light had no idea what the man had meant by that, all he cared about right now was the fact that he had no pain and even though he was sitting in an uncomfortable chair it felt like he was reclined on the softest white cloud. There was a wet dripping noise that made Light's head turn.

dripdrip drip drip drip.

'what is that?" light was scared at the sound off his own voice. He leaned over to see that the sound was his blood dripping down off of his fingers to join a small pool of blood on the cold concrete. He drifted into unconsciousness before he could even sit up in his seat.

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Concrit would be lovely xD


	2. A problem shared

Thanks go to Reeri, ZombieLiz, xallfalldownx, and Tarshil for the wonderful reviews.

still trying to get into writer's mode and I never was any good at grammar... so I hope you will excuse some of my mistakes. I intend for the chapters to get progressively longer.

I do not own Death Note. This story has no monetary value!

hope you like it so far!

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L stepped off the jet onto hot tarmac. His feet, though rough with years of being bare, protested. He spotted Soichiro a few feet away and hurriedly slouched over to the car, saluting Yagami san as he wrenched the back seat door open and practically dove inside. Watari however paused to shake Yagami san's hand before entering the passenger side of the vehicle.

It was a no frills luxury sedan, but the ac was on full blast and L took care to place is feet by the vent.

"Do you have a hotel that you prefer?" the rather bedraggled looking chief asked as he gazed at the detective through the rear view mirror.

"No Yagami san. In my line of work I actually get a lot of business in these parts of the world. I have a mansion here that we will be basing HQ from. Watari shall navigate you. And also Yagami san, I know you must trust these men on your son's case, but I can not. They will have to be fully screened before I allow them to continue on this investigation.

"Who said I trusted them?" L's head shot up. He fixed his stare at the chief's face in the rear view mirror.

"Yagami san no longer trusts these agents? Why?" L brought his thumb up to his mouth calculating the possibilities. Soichiro gripped the leather searing wheel in a death grip before glancing back at the younger detective.

"I don't have a solid reason… they are reliable and affable men, but… well I suppose I just don't trust anyone anymore."

"Well I would hope you still trust myself and Watari. It may not look it but we are displaying a large amount of trust in you." Soichiro smiled grimly.

"You and Watari are the exception to the rule." With that, L pulled out the lap top that had been placed on the seat next to him. I received all the information on the case that is in the Interpol database, but has anything new come to your attention?"

"Nothing."

"Then we detour to the hotel Watari. I would like to interview these agents as soon as possible. Soichiro san would you arrange a meeting with them? Watari will give you the details" He let his mangled thumb rest..

"Of course." Both Watari and Soichiro said in unison.

L reviewed the case for the twentieth time hoping something would pop out at him. Soichiro's distrust in the agents intrigued L. Soichiro had a good gut instinct and If he did not trust these men there was probably a reason why….

The chance of these men being somehow related to Raito kun's disappearance was slim but not impossible both men had been working with Raito kun prior to his disappearance. Both of them had suspicions toward the Lóng drug cartel.

Their statements about the last time they had any contact with Raito kun were sound. He needed to read these people, their reactions and their habits. It was a long shot but well worth investigating.

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Light woke in a very different situation from his last one. He was on a bed now and his wrists were bandaged and free. He was unclothed and clean except for a silk bath robe. 'does not bode well…' he thought.

He sat up and looked around at his surroundings… silk translucent drapes were everywhere in a dusty powder beige. It was kind of…nauseating. Where there weren't drapes, there were mirrors. He quickly guessed what went on in this room. A rather gaudy and ridiculous den of sin. The bed stood alone in the center of the room. And he felt something like the main dish.

Light chuckled still feeling a bit like his head was in the clouds from his last run in with broad shoulders san. 'This is ridiculous If they think I'm going to be some kind of sex slave for heroin they are sadly mistaken.' he thought.

He tried to swing his legs over but quickly found that both his feet were chained to the foot of the bed. Light growled as he scrambled forward and found that it was too secure to try and free himself. He sat back and looked for anything close enough that he might be able to free himself with. He noticed then the black security cameras at all four corners of the room. 'de ja vous, ' He chuckled at the thought of the great detective L walking through the handle less door. On the far wall.

He pulled and tried to wrench the chains free from the floor with no luck. 'I am sick of damn chains! If I never see them again I will die happy' he thought with chagrin.

He also noticed on the a night stand, a pack of open cigarettes, a single safety lighter, an ashtray and a dish of red grapes.

'how hedonistic' he sneered. What startled him though was the fact that this pack of cigarettes were exactly his brand. No one knew his brand he thought, because he smoked so infrequently and never in the company of others. He wasn't proud of the fact that sometimes he craved such a ridiculous vice.

How did these people know? It couldn't be coincidence as he smoked an unusual brand that not many people knew about. Having to order them online was part of the secrecy he kept so carefully hidden. Have they had their eye on him longer than he thought? He had only lit himself have one cigarette on his trip to china and that had been in his hotel bathroom with the ventilation on. Did they have his luggage?

He might be able to start something on fire but it wouldn't get very far before someone took notice.

He eyed the cigarettes. 'why the hell not?' what better time to have a cigarette then now? When the chances he was about to get raped were substantially high. Maybe it would calm his mind enough to figure out a way to escape. He took the pack with one cigarette missing and shook one of the cancer sticks loose. As he lit it he wondered if maybe broad shoulder man had smoked the missing one. He shrugged and lay back on the mattress waiting for the offensive to start, and ready to fight to the death.

It didn't take long for Light to realize his mistake. Half way through the cigarette he felt light headed and nauseous. The cigarette was laced. He crushed the offending cigarette into the ash tray weakly and took the pack and threw it across the room. He laid back onto the mattress feeling like he was a bobber in the ocean.

He calmed his breathing. But he was still angry at himself for making such a stupid mistake. Light didn't hear the door open.

"What's the matter Light kun?" Light shot up. It was broad shoulders san.

"You drugged me again." He growled out viciously before throwing the lighter with horrible aim, towards his captor.

"I didn't." the big man said as he walked cautiously towards Light like the chained young man was some kind of wild animal.

"What is this all this?" Light asked emphatically making large hand gestures towards the room.

"Your new room for the time being. Do you not find it to your liking?" the giant of a man smirked as he looked at his reflection in one of the mirrors.

"What exactly is going on here?" Light asked again with more force.

"you must undergo training before you are suitable to make money for us. As of right now though we aren't sure If you would make more money for us as a lease or sold as a commodity. But we should know soon enough." Light paled

He was either going to become a whore or sold as an addicted sex slave. Not if he had anything to say about it… Broad shoulders walked over to the foot of the bed.

"If you behave yourself and do as you are told, you will find yourself with more freedoms. Like losing these…" He said tracing the ankles cuffs. "And who knows, you might even enjoy yourself."

Before broad shouldered man could react Light kicked him in the balls. He was thankful that the chains weren't that short. Then proceeded to wrench at the chains securing his feet once again while the man was currently… incapacitated. Unfortunately he had stepped out of Light's range so Light couldn't take the offensive.

Busy trying to wrench the chains free He didn't see the fist before it hit him square on the side of his head. Light slumped but did not lose all consciousness The man pulled Lights wrist up to the head of the bed and chained it there, then did the same with the other.

The man took the black lacquered box from his pocket and set it on the night stand. He sat next to the helplessly struggling agent and began preparing another dose to calm him down.

"No please-"

"Save your begging Light san. You'll be needing it shortly."

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L sat in front of the live video of the two men that had been working with Raito kun. After extensive interview L found Donghai to be quite harmless and almost as perturbed with Light's disappearance as Soichiro was. Akane however was a bit suspicious due to his short answers and calm exterior. There was a lead here. L could feel it. One of these men might have a clue to Light's where a bouts. Whether they with held it unknowingly or not was what he had to figure out.

"Akane you said Yagami Light was investigating a shipyard in Xingang?" L asked into the voice modulator.

"Yes sir. We thoroughly went over the security tapes. However the security is sloppy, there was no video of his entrance or exit but there is short coverage while inside one of the private shipping sectors."

"Yes I saw that rather unhelpful video clip earlier today. Akane what are your feelings toward Raito kun. I expect the truth. I am quite confident that I will be able to tell if you are lying." L zoomed up on Akane's face. The man looked bored.

"To be honest, I find that he is brash and too cocky. He shouldn't have been there to begin with. He shouldn't have gone off alone. Even if it was the middle of the day." He was telling the truth and obviously found this case as the source of his boredom. He probably thought it was a waste of time and resources for one careless missing agent.

"I see. Donghai san, your thoughts?"

"Light was.. is a good agent. Arguably the best in his field. Maybe he shouldn't have done what he did but it wasn't like we could have spared the man power. We are undercover. You can't always go in to situations with someone to watch your back. In short… He's a great agent and a good friend of mine. Anything I can do to help you find him, I will do without question." charismatic thought L the man's IQ was higher than average but that didn't mean much. His conviction for his missing friend did strike a chord with L none the less.

Thank you gentlemen please remain there and Watari will escort you out of the building. We shall remain in contact. L poured himself a cup of tea from the steaming pot and proceeded to empty the sugar container directly into his cup. Watari wouldn't be happy with his surge of sugar intake, but he found he didn't care, There really wasn't any hard evidence anywhere and it did not bode well for his first friend.

He tapped away on the computer, sending Watari a message to retrieve the agents and send them on their way. He would not be sharing his headquarters with the men. It was just a gut instinct that there was something off about the two. Their stories had been sound and there emotions were as well. But he couldn't bring himself to trust either of them.

"What were you looking for in that shipping yard Raito kun?" He spoke aloud…"The bigger question is what did you find?" L sighed as he realized he would need to call in someone for their breaking and entering skills. It would be illogical to hire someone like Wedy or Aiber… 'No I can use this as an opportunity to prove themselves' he thought. He would use the heirs but which one? They are impossible to handle if working together on the same case.

He sighed heavily before pulling out his personal cell phone and dialing a number…

"Hullo" stated Matt as nonchalant and distracted as ever.

"Matt. I require your skill set."

"L?" there was a scuffle on the other end.

"…Yes. I will have a plane pick you up in five hours. Please be on it." L was satisfied with the conversation and would have loved to hang up right then…

"…WHAT? What does he need you for?" someone yelled in the background. Before speaking directly into the receiver. "L why only Matt? We work best as a team, you know that."

"Yes well this is just a simple B and E job. I need his help until I can find someone else."

"…Look L I'm coming too. There's no way game brain here can do this alone. Besides two heads are better than one." L could tell that Mello was hurt by L's negligence to invite him as well. The monotone detective sighed exuberantly.

"Fine." He hung up. Looks like he would have twice the headache he was expecting…

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Light lay on a cold black granite slab chained with securely to the floor. He was completely naked and terrified. Though no one would have been able to read his emotions. His features were schooled, as if the ceiling were the most interesting thing in the world. It actually was pretty interesting as he saw it wave back and forth and ripple with the flashing club lights. He could move his head but everything else was so secure that it hurt. The chains biting into his skin making indents on his arms thighs and torso.

It would have made him squirm what he could move if he weren't so blissed out on heroin.

Today he was a serving piece placed in the center of a buffet line like some kind of erotic suckling pig roast. Shining red apple in his mouth and all. He would love to spit the offending fruit from his mouth but Chao, aka Broad shoulders san, threatened his sanity with a repeat performance of the other day.

As the young and disgustingly rich danced, ate and drank around him, only sparing him an amused glance every once in a while, others kept busy in the shadowed corners and private rooms performing lewd acts. He felt dirty and so very exposed.

A thirty something socialite gracefully approached him a soft smirk in her knowing eyes. She was quite beautiful, but she knew it too. She switched the long stemmed glass to her other hand. Her long fingers pinching the stem of the glass like someone he once knew. She leaned over and took a small hors devour from his chest and popped it into her mouth. Making a show of licking her fingers. The dark club setting making the woman look like some kind of ravenous and beautiful beast.

"mmm very yummy. I think I'll have another…". She gathered her long hair in one hand and leant over his chest before placing her carefully painted mouth over Light's nipple and bit. Hard. Light couldn't budge, he could barely breath as she began licking the bruised nub back and forth. His mind already in a haze began to spin as she continued her attack on his nipple.

Light could hear a few people laughing to the side . He bit the apple harder to keep from crying out. That was another thing forbidden to him. If he were to make any sound during the night he would be paying for it later.

The laughing seemed to urge the impish girl on. And she began to suck on the unbearably sensitive skin. Still Light didn't make a sound.

"Good piggy." Finally she was done with her little show and more people came up for hors devours. Eager to see and get a taste of the stoic faced man being used as a platter. He had no choice he had to cut his mind free. Free to float up through the ceiling that looked like the sea, and into the air.

He could see the stars then.

"… loves it…"

They were really being rough tonight he thought unaffected from his place in the sky. Tiny bits of conversation were seeping through like when you are on the cusp of a radio station

"… Chao said…"

Maybe it was more like a phone cutting out since there wasn't any white noise. He looked at the city skyline with a haunted look.

"… My turn …"

In any case, the farther away he floated, the less he could hear. So…

he just floated away.


	3. A man comes from the dust

I do not own Death Note

Thanks for the reviews everyone, They really make me happy and inspire me to try harder for you all!

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"Wow." the blue suit clad man giggled disgustingly as he stared though the peep hole that looked into the Interpol agent's room. He shifted closer straining to see through the small hole. There were other ways of observing the goods of course. Many mirrors lined the walls in the round room all of which were two way mirrors for the voyeuristic, dirtballs. This hole was for the guards to keep an eye on things. Unfortunately for the man looking through the hole in the wall, he never got to see any of the good stuff because there was a coat hanger above the hole.

Which meant they didn't get to see, if whoever was in the room with the agent didn't want them to see.

"What is it? He need to go to the bathroom again?" said the tall thin man as he puffed on a cigarette as he leaned against the wall in complete boredom.

"He is totally high as a kite right now. You should see him. His eyes are so spaced the fuck out."

"No thanks. You would be that way too if they pumped the amount of quality grade A into you as they are giving him, lucky bastard." They stayed like that for a while. One smoking and the other gawking

"Shit" The man ripped his the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door in a hurry. Alarming the other guard.

"What's up?" He asked as he threw down his cigarette.

"He's bashing his head into the floor."

"The hell!" They finally rip the door open to see light kneeling behind the bed, disappearing momentarily to rise up again and repeat the process with blood running down his face.

"Grab his arms!" They rush the Interpol agent, but just as they round the bed to tackle him, Light hit the blue suited man with a patented Light Yagami punch to the throat. Successfully crushing his voice box and with enough force to cause severe swelling and bleeding. He would die two minutes later.

The other man lunged after having been shocked into stillness. The two grappled on the floor for a while before light gained the upper hand and proceeded to punch the lanky man in the face. Punch after punch the man had long since lost consciousness by the time the slap of shoes against cement could be heard running down the hall way.

Light hadn't heard it... Still seeing red in a murderous rampage he could hear nothing except the beating of his heart as it pounded against its cage. But he saw the two men in the doorway looking horrified at the blood that had pooled and splattered marring the cold floor and even some of the sheer drapery, but especially the agent.

Light scooted away from the man that he had previously been assaulting and crouched in a fighting stance that he had picked up a few years back. He of course couldn't fight to his full potential considering the chain that held him to the floor and the toxins pumping through his veins, but the chain did give him a few feet leeway and he still had his arms and one leg that would do everything they could to harm and maim just about anyone who came near him.

The men pulled out their guns and aimed.

"Get on the bed!" One of the men shouted, the other man's aim shook slightly as he looked down upon the carnage.

Light's face was stoic. Just a steady intenseness held within as he rose to his full height… and remained standing there.

"I said get on the bed! Cuff yourself to the bed NOW!" The man shouted again. Then like a shift in wind, Light's shoulders slumped and all fight left his eyes. He yawned, and then scratched his head as he turned towards the bed to do as the man had told him He secured the cuffs and the men lowered their weapons. The man that had shouted came forward to smash the butt of his gun into the agent's face, but he never went through with it. Only trying to scare Light.

Light how ever did no flinching. He had that same bored face on again, he may have blinked but that was it.

"He's dead… He killed him. We have to get Bai to the doctor's now." The other man said after inspecting his fellow guards, in a hurried voice. Not once looking towards Light. The other man who had shouted never took his eyes off of him even as they both carried 'Bai' out the door to disappear from sight.

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L lifted the silver spoon to his lips and inspected its contents. A sugar glazed strawberries and a smudge of pure white butter cream frosting about to meet their end in his mouth. But alas Mello was carrying a file box through the living room of his large contemporary mansion in China… knocking the back of L's chair and causing the carefully constructed morsel of berry, sugar, and dairy to fall unceremoniously back on to the plate with a loud 'Plop!'

"Sorry L." Matt said on Mello's behalf as the two continued to work on some electronics. But Mello kept moving the tools that Matt needed so he soon shooed Mello away.

Mello Scowled at Matt and threw himself down on the couch pulling a candy bar from his bag and began to eat it as he stared at his coworkers.

"L, I've been wondering… why did you take this case? Missing persons don't usually interest you." Mello asked, punctuating his question with a sharp bite of his chocolate.

"I have been preparing to answer your question Mello as I was sure you would be the one to ask and the answer is simply that Light kun… the missing person, is a friend of mine. My first real friend in fact." All noise of tinkering and chewing ceased, alerting L that he may have just opened a can of worms.

"Wait wait wait… isn't this the kid that you had suspected to be Kira in the "unnatural death case' a few years back?" Mello asked as he sat forward onto the edge of the sofa, his elbows on his knees in complete astonishment.

"He is one and the same."

"So you are friends with someone who at least at one time fit the profile of a murderer?"

"Yes, But I have to point out that all of us in this room have qualities that lend themselves to a murder profile. Mello has yet to get a handle on his anger issues, Matt practices virtual killings on a daily basis and I myself have a reclusive and antisocial behavior. On top of that we are all extremely intelligent and tend to get carried away by our egos.

"Even Watari's complacent nature could be suspect in any murder investigation if coupled with the right evidence. It just so happened that Light Yagami was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But we met you first! Aren't we friends L? Wasn't Watari really your first real friend?" Mello said growing angry not only at L's flippancy at their friendships but also at his complete disregard for his anger issues… L knew that was a sore spot for Mello.

L spun around on his chair balancing his cake on one knee his hand on the other and stared with his usual intensity at the youths that sat before him. Both of whom had their gazes steadily fixed on him.

"I consider Watari, Mello, and Matt, as well as all the children at Wammy's, more of a family than friends. As such family can not always be the best of friends especially involving less mature individuals as sometimes it requires a stern hand. I believe it is called tough love. However since Light has his own family and would not fit into ours I consider him a very good friend.

"We operate at least intellectually much the same… how ever he has qualities that I do not, and I have traits that he does not. His suspicion in the Kira case was the first ever time I was so wrong in my suspicions but I value that learning experience as well as the friendship I gained out of it." Matt went back to work with a quiet smile on his face and Mello had a faint blush on his cheeks as he sat back and resumed eating his chocolate.

"I see…So what are you guys pen pals or something? It's been several years…" Mello said after clearing his throat.

"No." L turned back to his computer and continued eating.

"Well when was the last time you heard from him?" Mello asked genuinely curious

"The last day of the Kira investigation." L said matter of factly. Matt and Mello both sweat dropped…

The phone rang and a long bony hand reached out across the desk to answer, he picked it up between delicate fingers as per usual of L.

"Yes?"

"There has been a development in the case." There was no need to specify to which case, as all other cases had been put on hold in lieu of Light's disappearance. "Late last night, a video tape was received by the Yagami household. Its contents pertain to Light and his current situation."

"So he's alive." L let out a sigh

"Japanese police have analyzed the tape, having found no forensic evidence and have concluded that the tape is a rather awful compilation of Light's last days on earth."

"… It's a video of his death? Highly unlikely as the only reason to deliver a video portraying someone's death is to make the viewer of said video believe that the subject had been killed. None the less I must see this video. Has Chief Yagami been informed?"

"Yes a rather Hysterical Sachiko Yagami san had informed him of its contents. I must also note L that there is a lot more on this video than just Light's death. I agree that Light is not dead because this video was made to humiliate and destroy Light. As if trying to sever him from the rest of the world."

"Understood Watari, please forward the video to me in an encoded e-mail."

"Yes L."

"Matt, Mello… I ask that you please leave the room I have received a video of Light… I am told it is rather disturbing."

"L how will we be able to help you if we can't see the video?" Matt argued

"I may change my mind later but for now the less people that see this, the better." There wasn't another word of argument as the two filed out and L patiently waited. After the door was firmly shut, L took a deep breath and opened his email window.

He clicked play after a few moments and watched as the screen lit up with the image of Light. It was video from a security camera so perhaps at least this section of the video wasn't contrived as it showed only low quality feed.

There sat Light on the film. It was unmistakably him. L sighed with relief, shocking himself at that unusual display. But he became even more shocked as his eyes riveted themselves to Light's blurry form as he unceremoniously smashed his head into the concrete.

The hands that gripped his knees became white and an uncomfortable terror settled over him. He paused the video and called Watari to bring him some cake. He had to watch this tape very closely if he was going to be of any help to the young agent. He had to detach himself, something he wasn't used to having a problem with doing.

Watari arrived with the cake and gave L a pat on the back when he saw the paused video, after which he promptly turned and left the room.

L spun back to the video and pushed play. It showed Light repeating the process of banging his head on the floor before two men entered and attempted to stop the erratic behavior. That didn't go very well Light wasn't all together sane right then, thought L as he watched the agent kill at least one of the men.

L noted Light's sluggish movements and the fact that he was chained to the base of a bed. The drapery and Light's risqué attire… Light had been raped L was almost 100 percent sure from some of the blood stains on the otherwise unmarred sheets. Not only had he been raped but he had been continually placed under immense stress and plausibly drugged, in order to cause any of these actions in the usually stoic Light. The video quality was poor and he hated that, he needed to see facial expressions he needed to see details if he was ever going to find Light.

Some one else had arrived on the scene as Light continued to punch one of his assailants. But L couldn't see whom it was as the camera's angle did not show. That section of video abruptly ended to be followed by a new quality of video. High quality, though L may have regretted wishing for it.

It showed Light in the same room with a group of snickering men as they used him. Some times harshly slapping him, other times coercing pleasured moans out of him.

It showed light voluntarily performing lewd acts with these men. But L knew that it was hardly voluntary. He noted the bruised and punctured inner arm with grim set lips.

He heard Light cry out in both pain and pleasure and he took a bite of his cake. It tasted…wrong. L realized steady streams of tears were cascading down his face, but still he continued watching. Never flinching or turning away. Every masked face every syllable these men spoke, every mote of dust that floated past the lens was subject to the most intense scrutiny.

He could not pause. No. He needed to find Light and fast.

The last section of the video portrayed very shoddy camerawork… this clip was different from the others L quickly realized why… this wasn't a camera at all, but a cell phone video. The frame shook as if whoever was holding the phone was terrified.

It portrayed Light standing in a dank dark room, very unlike the last room he had occupied. The walls were chipping their paint. It almost looked like the beginnings of a horror movie with Light's face shadowed by his bangs. There was a lot of shouting in Mandarin going on in the background but no one dared step in front of the camera.

Oh yes this was contrived.

But that was unmistakably Light in the video. He wondered how- but his thoughts were cut off as a masked man quickly stepped into the frame and shot Light in the head spraying gray matter and blood all over the white chipped walls.

L's heart stopped.

His mind seemed to stall and his eyes widened as Light began to fall to the ground before he disappeared from the camera. The frame began to shake wildly and Light got a quick glimpse of the agent face down on the cement floor. A pool of blood quickly gathering.

L felt the sudden urge to throw up his cake. And THAT frightened him almost as much as the idea of light being dead did.

He had seen countless slaughters. Gruesome displays of the inhumanity of murder, genocide, torture. And never had he felt physically ill from footage of any murder. Sure he was outraged, and had moments of extreme despair but never this.

He rewound the tape to the beginning and began to watch it again. He continued this process, eyes growing imperceptibly wider for quite some time before a light knocking could be heard on the door. L shook himself from his trance like state.

"Come in." His voice sounded deeper and thicker than usual. He cleared his throat.

"L… I'm so sorry." It was Matt. What was he sorry for? Was he that transparent with his emotions now?

"Whatever for?" L said careful with his tone

"L… I saw it… It's all over the internet right now… I can't trace it, The NPA is going nuts." L spun in his chair with such speed it startled Matt.

"What?"

* * *

I know I said I was going to try to make the chapters longer but this chapter wanted to end here


	4. the yolk and the shell

I realized I've estranged a lot of my readers with the last chapter. Sorry! But it kinda had to go down that way. Light is a very strong willed character and I couldn't fathom how to break him down into the pulp I need him to be any other way. Sorry this is so short! Truth is I have been crazy busy, and I honestly don't want to post a chapter that would make no sense.

I am going to a wedding out of town next week but I promise I will make it up to you guys later.

Sorry again!

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L turned back to his computer and stabbed a few keys bringing up his own personal search engine. Sure enough the internet was a buzz with a video file called

He clicked on a link and was forwarded to an error page. He tried a few more links with the same results until finally one worked and it played the same video he had just watched.

The link was almost immediately taken down. It seemed that the people's republic of China was on top of their game but then they always were when it came to policing the internet. That made L think… no one could just upload any old junk onto the internet in China. It was rumored that the agency that was policing the internet were at least 30,000 strong, you could get a 15,000 yaun fine for just openly stating your opinion of the government.

Unless…

Who ever did this had to have been in Hong Kong or Macau as the internet policing didn't apply there as much. And the link he had gotten to work had come from Russia which meant that whomever had uploaded this had to have done it within the time frame of a few days… unless of course they had the technology to spam the video. That took resources, since the tape had been a rather large production with at least five people (faces hidden) appearing on the video. He logged into the Chinese policing department and messaged a contact he had within the system. He got his answer rather quickly; it was good to be L. They had not been able to track the IP of the video. They weren't even sure if the video had been sent out in China. They would have been indignant if it weren't L giving them this information…

The fact they were so clueless told L that it had to have been uploaded to the internet in either Hong Kong or Macau.

Just then Soichiro busted into the room followed by a flustered Mello. L stood up to face the man.

"Soichiro San, I…I am very sorry for your loss." L stated. Not meeting the elders eyes how could he, his son was dead because L hadn't found him in time…

"Light isn't dead." Soichiro said with vehemence.

"How do you know this?" L's head snapped up.

"The video, the last second before the gun goes off… his shirt." L sat down quickly and brought up the video of the event that Soichiro was talking about." He put it into slow motion, and watched once again as Light's brains were blown out.

"Go back… Watch his shirt sleeve near the shoulder." L sighed but did what was asked of him. He still didn't see what the chief was talking about. And now he was getting angry for no reason. Perhaps it was the fact that he had just watched his friends death again.

"Soichiro san, I'm afraid you are under some kind of delusion. It is regrettable but your son is dead. I am sorry for your loss."

"Please L go back one more time!"

"He's right!" go back L and check out the seam on his shoulder there's a crease you have to watch for. It was blurred out so it's not that noticeable… damn, these guys are good." Matt said scratching his head as he watched his own screen.

L went back again, and watched the crease where matt had told him to. Sure enough there was a blur, fractions of a second before the gun was fired.

"Unfortunately this could just be an artifact from the low quality camera. It does not tell us for sure if Light is dead or alive, But it will be analyzed further. Thank you Soichiro san, but please don't get your hopes up."

"I'd know if my son were dead or not…" Soichiro said with a tinge of anger. L ignored it, he himself trying to fight the burning flare of hope that was trying to consume him.

Soichiro left and L let Matt dissect the video as L let his mind calculate the possibilities of whether or not Light was alive or not, and what it meant.

If it was computer edited… If Light wasn't dead, someone sure wanted to make it look like he was. Especially his family… or those investigating Light's disappearance as surely they would know that whoever was investigating his disappearance would receive the video that was delivered to the Yagami residence…

Editing the video was no easy feat. The people holding light must have close to limitless funds as those quality special effects didn't run cheap. And they only had a few months to make that video… who would spend that amount of money on one person? And why go to such lengths, unless… L began to chew on his nonexistent thumbnail.

"What are you thinking L?" Mello asked as he approached the detective.

"I'm thinking that whoever made this video… if it is fake, knows that L is on the case." L's fist clenched on his knee. His gut instinct did a one eighty from being convinced of Light's death to him being alive. If this was an altered video, they knew that L was on the case. He knew Soichiro would not reveal L's involvement into his son's case. And he knew that neither Matt nor Mello could have or ever would have tipped them off.

That only left two people who would know of L's involvement, agents Akane and Donghai.

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Light lay on his mattress, almost vacant. He was hovering between lucidity and catatonia. The mattress was askew and his head lay on tilt as the mattress sloped down to the floor. The lights were dim and the air held a chill that told him it was night. Not that this fact mattered much to him.

Today they had shown him a horrendous video. A foul thing that made his skin crawl. It showed what a truly disgusting person he had become. He had killed a man, something he remembered every day, a constant bitter taste in his mouth. He also saw something on the video he didn't even remember happening.

Five men had violated him, dragging him further down into the mire. Showcasing his own depravity, and last, on the end of the video he had witnessed his own death. It was very real. He wondered for a second if he was dead, and this was hell.

They told him that they had put it on the internet and everyone all over the world could see it. And they told him that they had sent it to his family.

He was now dead to the world. But not only that, the video had plainly shown how truly despicable he was before…they shot him. Making it impossible to redeem himself, he felt. If he somehow left here…escaped, he would never be able to face his family again. He would never be able to show his face anywhere, ever again. He was dead. And even as he thought this, his last flicker of hope died.

Some men came in to his room again and Light didn't even tense as he normally would have, he was a corpse after all. They cleaned up the day's mess, talking to each other as if he wasn't there. Light lay their willing himself to slip completely out of it.

"We won't get to play with him much longer."

"Waddaya mean?"

"He's completely out of it lately. Customers are complaining. The boss is going to get rid of him soon. He's starting to get a few buyers rounded up. "

"Well we can always play with that Chiro chick. I like the sounds she makes better anyway."

"Haha I know, she totally wants it more than anyone else."

"I'm worried though."

"Why. That new customer really likes her and you saw what he did to that dark haired kid right? Sliced him all up. I have no idea why the boss still lets him hang around here."

"You didn't know? He paid for that one's video."

"No shit?"

"Yeah. He's been real buddy buddy with boss."

"I don't like him at all. He's all creepy, look at what he wears!"

"The wealthy can afford to be eccentric."

"True enough"

Light's brain worked on its own storing the information for later. At the moment however he was more concerned with falling asleep and never waking up.

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Sorry for the errors *passes out*


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